I have a Aoudad hunt coming up in Feb. in Big Bend country and was wondering if anyone had a favorite gaiter to help keep the cactus and thorns out of the shins?

I do not know from gaiters, but do watch where I put my feet.

Best wishes for a trophy critter.

You shouldn't be wading in cactus.

I would be more concerned about rattlesnakes than
cactus. Mani thing is watch your step.

IF you really want to know the facts about hunting

down there. Contact Ray Atkinson on here. He

ranched in the area for years.

Good luck and have a great trip.

George

Cactus, thorns and snakes all figure in. I know its mainly about care in walking, but I'll have my 13 1/2 year old son along as well and his feet get ahead of his brain more often than mine do.

quote:

Originally posted by KevinNY:
Cactus, thorns and snakes all figure in. I know its mainly about care in walking, but I'll have my 13 1/2 year old son along as well and his feet get ahead of his brain more often than mine do.

I just wear my snake boots.

Your son will watch his step after he gets poked a couple of times.

Life has a way of teaching you lessons.

I don't wear gaiters. Jeans and leather boots work just fine. Snakes are not an issue in Feb. Avoid the "synthetic" crap. Good ol cotton denim jeans.

I wear Rocky Lynx snake boots. Not expensive, pretty light and comfy and will repel cactus as well as snakes.
I also have turtle skinz gaitors, the only one I know of that are snake proof. They are a little hot though.

Perry

Turtleskinz...

Turtleskins are awesome!! Me and my son have worn them for years.

They are very light weight and give protection from snakes and cactus.

Thanks for the leads. I did some reading and ordered the TurtleSkins today.

I spent a lifetime almost ranching in Texas, mostly in the Big Bend bordering the park..no need for gaiters. a pair of the new fashion wide toe cowboy boots is the best you can do. comfortable and reasonably snake proof, but during hunting season, most rattler's are hibernating, snakes are not abundant in that country like they are in So Texas, and they generally move out before you get near them and will warn you with a buzz.. Dont need to overthink the problem, I raised 3 kids there and not a single one of them got bit, its rare in that area, contrary to some folks belief..horse back we killed about two or three a year, they killed more than that in town (marathon)The only cactus you need to be concerned about is Tasajillo (sp) just be careful where you sit and where you put your hands.If you get stuck, pull it out, simple as that.

What ranch are you hunting on? or what general area..

South of Marfa.

South of Marfa, to shafter is great deer country, but stay better NOrth of Shafter..Tell me the name of the ranch and I will tell you how good it is, I was raised in marfa..I also ranched south of Marathon and cowboyed from Marathon to El Paso and most of the ranches in the big bend growing up.

Dang it, Ray! For the umpteenth time I am telling you, you have to write your memoirs.

The only thing I can add is don't show that you are a tourist to Texas. You're going to WEST Texas, not SOUTH texas. Insert smiley face.

I do not know which ranch we will be on but I leave in a week and will post up when I return from WEST Texas. Would love to hear more of Ray's ranching years at that time.

Have hunted there several times. Great area and fun.
No gaiters needed. Good leather boots that fit work fine. No need for "brush pants", Carhart pants or good denim work well.
Take good optics for sure.

Aoudad south of Marfa, probably around elephant mountain, but the Aoudad have done well and moved on a lot of big ranches in most of the Big Bend country..An outfitter out of El Paso does a lot of Aoudad hunts and has a good reputation it seems..You might want to hunt mule deer also.

Some really good Coues deer on some of those Big Bend ranches and no high fences..

I'm 56. I've hunted in Texas my whole life. Weather permitting, I usually have on sneakers and shorts. Only wear pants if it's below 50.

Hunted all over - central, east, south, west. Never ran across a venomous snake hunting. Actually, only seen one hiking. I do wear snake boots when I'm dove hunting in South TX, but never seen them there either. You don't walk much dove hunting, so they are bearable.

Now, I have had my fair share of cactus bites! But as folks said, you never walk through it or on it on purpose. Always an accident and the big thorns will penetrate just about everything (assume snake boots would stop them?) so I don't worry about trying to prevent it, I just watch where I am walking - which usually takes care of the part about stepping on the incidental venomous snake - if there should be one.

Heck, I've seen more venomous snakes on 5 trips to Africa than a lifetime in TX. (vine, mamba, cobra)

For my Big Bend Aoudad/Mule Deer hunt last December, I wore Marmot jeans and some Salomon hiking boots. And I did get some accidental cactus bites!

Ranch is the Gavilan. Gorgeous country and we knocked down a monster on the first afternoon. 33 3/4" with 13" bases and great chaps.

quote:

Turtleskinz...

+3

By the way, congrats! Sounds like an awesome Aoudad! Pics? They can be tough critters to bring down at times. Mine was.

Thanks. Still on the hunt, will post photos when we return. Still need to get my 13 yr. Old on a ewe. Found more nice rams today. Dropped him with one shot from my 300 win mag and a Barnes 180 TTSX.

Not familiar with the name Gavilan, but a lot of those big ranches have been bought up by investors from all corners of the earth, which is somewhat disturbing..Sounds like you hit the jackpot on the hunting..

I'm looking north at the elephant Ray. You'll be happy to hear the ranch is owned by a Texas family still running cattle. It's just above the state park. God's country if there ever was.

Assume you can see the Chisos Mountains to the south? The state needs to open the portion of Chinati they purchased and offer some aoudad hunts there.

My son with my ram.

both stud rams! Congrats!

Same Ram, just 2 different views. My son made a nice shot on a ewe at 332 yards and she went off the rim!